Losing weight and fertility

I know I am grasping at straws here...but I am trying to figure out why it has become difficult for us to conceive.  We were fortunate to get pregnant with my daughter on our first try...and now 3 years later we're struggling with TTC.

This past spring I lost 25 pounds.  I am now the thinnest I have ever been.  5'6" tall and 135 pounds.  I'm not skin and bones by any means but it was a significant amount of weight loss for me.  I did notice later in the spring that my period was late for 2 or 3 months.  I didn't know if that had anything to do with my weight loss or some other stress I was going through at the time (or both!)

Is it possible for significant weight loss to affect fertility?  Can it cause you not to ovulate or anything?  I know being OVERweight can cause problems but I didn't know about losing too much weight?  What do you think?

[paranoidpatty]

Hi Amy!

Stress and weight loss like that can DEFINITELY interfere with ovulation.  Did your TTC struggles start around the same time you were losing weight?  And the signs that you said where you were late with your cycle by 2-3 months is a definite indication of problems with ovulation.  If your body feels like you aren't healthy enough to support a pregnancy then ovulation may not happen. We need a certain amount of body fat to support a healthy pregnancy.  Losing weight can have an effect on your hormones and your hormones are what control ovulation.  So it may take a while for your body to adjust.  However, if you are underweight then it may not adjust correctly.  I don't think 135 at that height is extremely thin but I'm not sure.  I know when I was 155 pounds at 5'10 I was EXTREMELY thin for my height but I don't know the correct weight for your height.  

But the major sign is that your periods are irregular.  Maybe you could check with your doctor to find out about your weight in relation to ovulation.

I hope this helps.  Maybe others will chime in with their knowledge of this.

Trish

[amy0013]

Thanks Trish!!  I worded my post wrong...I meant to say that 2-3 months IN A ROW my period was late by 5-7 days.  NOT that I was without a period for that long...just that a few cycles in a row were really screwed up.  

You're right...I am NOT extremely thin.  Just small for "me".  I'm just racking my brain trying to figure out why conceiving has all of sudden become so difficult for us.  :)

[mommyin10]

Hi.  I agree that being overweight or too thin can interfere with getting pregnant.  You lost a lot of weight which could have shocked your body, but I think more than that it's the stress of ttc that's making it take longer. You seem to be at a very good height/weight ratio.  5'6" & 135 sounds very healthy :)  You should be proud of yourself for losing 25 pounds!  :)  Are you seeing a doctor while ttc?  If so, I would ask your doc if he/she sees any need for concern.  In the meantime, congrats & best wishes !!! :)

[amy0013]

No, we are not seeing a doctor about TTC b/c this is only our 2nd month (yet it feels sooooooooo much longer!  LOL!)  I know that my stress level has been high through all of this...I just don't know how NOT to stress about TTC!  :)

I think you're right that even though I am at a HEALTHY weight right now it probably was a shock to my body.  Hopefully everything will work itself out sooner than later.

And really if, for the sake of TTC, I need to gain 5 pounds back I'd be HAPPY to oblige!  LOL!

[mommyin10]

I agree! :)  If only someone could give us the magic formula to conceive, we'd all be 100% onboard.  We'd either gain or lose weight, change our diet, eliminate just about everything we love from our diet, etc. !  Trying not to stress about ttc is so difficult.  I think we just have to do all we can & then keep busy while we wait it out!  Best wishes to all of us !!!